People eat sweet potatoes as a staple food, an appetizer, a side dish, or a snack. They have been considered a longevity food since ancient times and can help maintain good health.
Li Shizhen (1518-1593), a doctor of the Ming Dynasty, wrote in Compendium of Materia Medica: “People in Haizhong live longer because they do not eat main grains, but eat sweet potatoes.” He described that they have purple skin and white flesh. They are delicious eaten as a main course, steamed, or grilled. One of America’s longest-lived persons, Lessie Brown, died in 2019 at the age of 114. She said that she lived so long because she often ate sweet potatoes. Before she was 111 years old, she ate a sweet potato almost every day.
Traditional Chinese medicine classifies sweet potatoes as being sweet and neutral in taste and nature, and that they have an affinity for the meridians of the spleen and kidneys. Their effect is to nourish the blood, replenish qi, promote body fluid, relax the stomach, and relieve constipation. For people who are physically weak, eating them has a tonic effect.
They are rich in dietary fiber, vitamin A, β-carotene, and potassium, so eating them has many benefits.
What sweet potatoes can do for your health
1. Full of nutrition
Sweet potatoes around the world come in a variety of colors, including white, yellow, orange, and purple. Orange varieties are quite high in β-carotene, as well as vitamin C, which helps bone growth and development. Yellow sweet potatoes have the highest amount of dietary fiber, which can promote intestinal peristalsis and increase satiety. Purple sweet potatoes are rich in anthocyanins such as cyanidin and peonidin, which have antioxidant properties and are also high in minerals and vitamins.
One cup of diced sweet potatoes provides the following nutrients: calories: 114; protein: 2.09 g; carbohydrates: 26.9 g; fiber: 3.99 g; sugar: 5.56 g; calcium: 39.9 mg; iron: 0.811 mg; potassium: 448 mg; phosphorus: 62.5 mg; sodium: 73.2 mg; vitamin C: 3.19 mg.
2. Improve immunity
Vitamin A is essential for maintaining a healthy immune system. Orange sweet potatoes are rich in β-carotene, which is converted into vitamin A in the body.
Purple sweet potato is rich in polysaccharides, which can enhance immune function. Studies have shown that these polysaccharides can stimulate the immune response of macrophages and can modulate the immune response of subjects by increasing the production of immunoglobulins.
3. Anticancer
Sweet potatoes are rich in anthocyanins, a type of antioxidant that has anti-cancer properties, especially against colorectal cancer, colon cancer, bladder cancer, breast cancer, and gastric cancer.
They can help prevent the growth of cancer cells in rectal cancer and initiate the cancer cell death mechanism. Anthocyanins can help fight tumors. In addition, Taiwanese purple sweet potatoes have also been found to have anticancer activity, being able to inhibit the growth of cancer cell lines, including breast cancer, gastric cancer, and colon adenocarcinoma.
4. Enhance memory
Research suggests that caffeoylquinic acid, extracted from purple sweet potatoes, has neuroprotective effects on the brain and may help improve spatial learning and memory.
The purple color comes from anthocyanins, which have antioxidant and neuroprotective functions. In one animal experiment, they improved the cognitive abilities of animals. Studies have also shown that purple sweet potatoes have been shown to reduce inflammation and protect brain function.
5. Control and prevent diabetes
Anthocyanins can help prevent diabetes. Antioxidants generally reduce oxidative stress caused by hyperglycemia. In animal experiments, anthocyanins in purple sweet potatoes have been shown to have positive effects on liver and kidney function and blood pressure in diabetes.
6. Help weight loss
Sweet potatoes are a nutrient-dense starchy food whose dietary fiber increases satiety and can be used as a substitute for white rice or noodles to aid weight loss. However, if you eat too much, you will gain weight. It is recommended to replace the daily rice meal with a palm-sized steamed sweet potato.
7. Protect your eyes
The β-carotene can help maintain vision and reduce the chance of macular degeneration. In addition, β-carotene is one of the components that make up “rhodopsin”, which is like a photosensitive substance on a photographic film and is responsible for executing visual responses.
Translated by Patty Zhang
